A/HRC/25/61 No. “Well then,” the judge said, “the penalty for apostasy is lashing to death.” They said she would be lashed five times for each of the five times per day she refused to pray (which she notes was interesting, since in Shi’a Islam they only pray three times per day), until she would sign a document verifying that she was a Muslim and prayed. When she was first arrested, and for the bulk of her imprisonment, questions revolved around Marxism leanings, but in 1988 they focused on whether or not the prisoners considered themselves Muslims. In 1990, she was conditionally released -- but not fully released -- from prison. She had been in prison for eight years. She left Iran in 1994. Ms. “Noura” Former political prisoner / advocate for Ayatollah Boroujerdi Ms. “Noura” came to discuss the case of Ayatollah Boroujerdi. She claims that the Supreme Leader is denying him necessary medical help. Ms. Noura claims that the Supreme Leader has contacted Ayatollah Boroujerdi directly. She also claims that prison officials have told Mr. Boroujerdi directly that if he does not write a letter recanting his beliefs, he will never be released. Since last autumn, the situation of Mr. Boroujerdi has worsened. Authorities have increased their pressure on him to sign confession letters and have called and pressured his wife and family to pressure him to sign in turn. His supporters have asked for the European Parliament delegation to intervene on his behalf. They have also asked others to intervene, but they have not been successful. Ms. Noura herself was in prison. She was a college lecturer, and established a center in physical/neuro-chemistry. She was very successful, but because of her political beliefs (liberal) she was exiled to work in a small library. When she returned to university, she was also pushed not to work with certain people. She then tried to establish a journal, and even then when her articles were published, authorities censored her name from journals. She began working with Ayatollah Boroujerdi, and in 2006, when her son was a baby, authorities attacked her home at night and arrested her. Her mother had heart problems, and after that suffered from a heart attack. She left the country two years ago. Tania Kaliji Women’s, children’s and students’ rights defender / journalist For university students, those who have left the country have enormous trouble obtaining documents proving their educational history, especially the families of students who were or are politically active or who had to leave the country for similar reasons. Since 2006, she has herself been taken to prison four times. Once, while she was on the phone with her father, notifying him of her arrest, she was slapped and she screamed. In response, her father had a heart attack and required open-heart surgery. 88